I think I might try the old soap and brush, what am I to look for when picking this stuff out? I dont want to spend mega bucks to only have the stuff not work for me and sit there.

Update..

OK was at wallys tonight and saw a boar brush soap and cup set for 8 bucks and figured WTF.

I tried it..

WoW just WoW. much better shave than hand soap in the shower like ive been doing for YEARS! And that's with my trusty Xtream 3 disposable. I think im sold.. Just next time i need a bit more water. lather was a bit dry.

Originally Posted By Fat_McNasty:
I think I might try the old soap and brush, what am I to look for when picking this stuff out? I dont want to spend mega bucks to only have the stuff not work for me and sit there.

You dont have to go super expensive, just make sure it is pure Boar Bristle...anything more than $5-$10 you're payuing for silly Frippery. LAPG had a sale on them about 6 months ago for IIRC $2@, i bought half a dozen to go in cleaning kits, since they work well for dusting out actions. The older brush i'd been using to shave with split, so i grabbed one of the cheapos and started using it, and it's worked fine.

EXPCustom: Now that's a hot beef injection I would not mind putting inside of me; You would be shocked to find out what my mouth can handleEXPCustom: Zhukov's meat is hard to beat

Originally Posted By Fat_McNasty:so the better the brush the more the lather?

Nope

then what? status symbol?

Too often, yes.

I guess it depends on how you define "better brush" for your question. A more expensive brush is not always a better quality brush. Some of the expensive "ultra super five band badger nutsack hair" brushes while being premium will not have the most utility when it comes to shaving. There is a balance between softness, scritchiness, backbone and water retention that needs to balance out to make a really nice badger shaving brush.

A "better brush" to me would be one that has a soft feel on the fact, creates a nice lather and has enough backbone to lift the hairs in preparation for the shaving. Despite all of the brushes that I own, I reach for my Omega boar brush at least 80% of the time.

Originally Posted By Fat_McNasty:so the better the brush the more the lather?

Nope

then what? status symbol?

Too often, yes.

I guess it depends on how you define "better brush" for your question. A more expensive brush is not always a better quality brush. Some of the expensive "ultra super five band badger nutsack hair" brushes while being premium will not have the most utility when it comes to shaving. There is a balance between softness, scritchiness, backbone and water retention that needs to balance out to make a really nice badger shaving brush.

So silvertip badger is not all that and a bag of chips? damn good thing i asked first before plunking down a hundred on a high end brush. Gives me more money for primers.

I just got a silvertip badger brush by GBS from amazon for $39.99.
It had 5 stars, and in it's two uses it's proven to be way better than the cheap badger brush I've been using.
it puts the soap on very evenly, and it holds a lot more water.

I prefer a badger brush over boar. Boar tends to be stiffer, and pokes more. Plus, boar being cheaper, seems to mean cheaper quality overall.
Maybe it's all in my head, but I seem to recall that the badger brushes do indeed lather better. I know mine seems to.....I seem to recall something about how they retain water better or something.

I paid around $15 for a Col Conk badger brush. They're not that expensive for a lower end model.

Badger hair is a wise investment. Expect to spend about 40 bucks on a basic Vulfix, Simpson, etc. brand Badger brush. You want a simple one.

I have only used my current brush for 5 years of near daily use and it looks and performs no different than when it started.

Boar brushes are not as efficient in use.

Badgers have a reputation for being grouchy. I think I know why. Badger hair absorbs water, which is why it makes a fine material for shaving brushes. Consider the plight of the poor badger, however. Going through life outdoors with hair that absorbs water? They are probably always cold, which in turn makes them grouchy.

I think Sally Struthers did a late night commercial for a correspondence course that offered a 3 week degree in Badger Shaving. Just think, in three short weeks you too could be part of the exciting field of shaving badgers....

I would recommend getting one from Larry at whippeddog.com. His prices are great and customer service is even better. For your first brush I would get a silver tip badger brush no smaller than 20mm and no bigger than 24mm. I would stay away from the black or pure badger, if you want something that rough go with one of the omega boar brushes.

You don't need to spend a lot of money to get into wet shaving, but if it turns out you really enjoy it things can get expensive.

Pick up some of the CO Bigelo shave cream (in the tube) from bath and Body works it is $10, it really is poraso shave soap.Get a good preshave oil too... that will make life much better.

I reently began exclusively using the Proraso shave cream in the tube ( the red tube Sandalwood and the new Blue tube aloe). They lather up almost instantly, and you need a blob the size of a marble to get a multiple-pass shave.
the aloe ( blue ) has no more scent than a bar of ivory soap.

Alright, all of the talk about how rough boar brushes are makes me realize that very few people know how to prepare a boar brush. Even my cheap Omega boars have a tip that feel softer on the face than a badger. Once the tips have split, the brush becomes incredibly soft on your face. There are methods to accelerate the process, but I find that it takes two to three weeks of daily work to actually get a boar brush properly broken in.

My process:

1. Wash the funk out. Some people rely on detergent or other soap the first couple of days, but I will use the same basic shaving soap every day from the start. Lather and rinse the brush

2. After you have rinsed the brush flick out as much moisture as you can. Take a terrycloth towel in your other had and begin running the tips of the brush over the towel. As you are flicking the brush across the towel make a small rotation of the brush in your hand. Keep going until you have rotated the brush 360 degrees. Because we are drying the brush as we abrade the tips the brush will actually dry completely in 24 hours.

3. Repeat for a couple of weeks. I start shaving with the boar about a week into the process so I can see how its progressing.